Battle of Cervera
The Battle of Cervera– also called the Siege of Cervera– was one of the longest and bloodiest battles of the Catalonian Anti-Mutant Campaign. Between 30 January and 3 March 2286, in the Catalan city of Cervera, 10.000 Imperial soldiers defeated 40.000 mutants of Tribe of goats. Considering its logistical value and its proximity to the capital (only 80 kilometres ), Cerverashould have been well-defended, fortified, and prepared for any enemy attack. However, the city had few fortifications and was poorly defended. The forces in the city were unprepared when the mutants launched the Mutant Counterattack, attacking hundreds of military targets and population centers across the country, including Cervera. The mutants forces rapidly occupied most of the city. Over the next month, they were gradually driven out during intense house-to-house fighting led by the imperial legionaries. In the end, although the empire declared a military victory, the city of Cervera was virtually destroyed, and more than 5,000 civilians were killed (2,800 of them executed by the mutants, according to the local government). The mutants forces lost an estimated 30,400 to 38,000 killed, while Imperial forces lost 3.668 dead and 5,707 wounded. The losses positive affected the imperial public's perception of the war, and political support for the war began to grown. Battle 'Attack' In the early morning hours of January 31, 2286, a Corps-sized force of mutants launched a coordinated attack on the city of Cervera. At 02:33, a signal fire arrow lit up the night sky, and two thousand mutants attacked the western wall of the Citadel. Their objective was to capture the Garrison, headquarters of Legate's Mario Casio of 2nd Legion in the northeast corner of the citadel. At the gate on the west wall of the Citadel, six mutants killed the guards and opened the gate. Upon their torch signals, lead elements mutants entered the old city. A 40 mutants that were tasked with attacking offices of Legatus through sewer found the entrance blocked and moved around to assault another gate at the southwest corner of the Citadel, they were engaged by an imperial machine gun and lost 24 mutants before seizing their objective. On the Cervera Airfield, the "Black Dogs Centuria", reinforced by the 2nd legion 3rd cohort, stopped a thousand mutants. The fighting for the airfield continued to seesaw, with first the imperial having the upper hand and then the mutants. A thousand mutants hit the headquarters of the 2nd Legion. Although the enemy battalion penetrated the Legion complex, an ad hoc defensive force of 200 staff members and staff members avoided enemy assaults. The legatus Mario called most of his Black Dogs Centuria from the airfield to reinforce the headquarters defenses, which kept the headquarters safe. 5,000 mutants launched a simultaneous attack against the barracks of the 2nd legion in the new city. The attackers were attacked by a machine gunner in a watchtower and troops in a bunker who were able to hold the attack long enough to allow others in the complex to form a cohesive defense. At dawn, a helicopter was shot down over the city, the crew sought refuge with a group of legionaries in a small compound. An imperial UH-1 Huey piloted by Marco Cornelio landed on the complex and rescued the crew under fire, for his actions Marco Cornelio was subsequently awarded the Civil Crown. 'Reinforcements' The assaulted Legatus Mario Casio asked for reinforcements. He ordered his 2nd legion; the 1st cohort to relieve the pressure in its headquarters. Responding to the call, the imperial base located near a road marker 17 km north of Cervera, an armored cohort left their base in an armored convoy towards Cervera. A mutant blocking force stopped the Imperial relief force about 400 meters from the Citadel wall. Unable to fight their way through enemy positions, veteran soldiers called for help. The 5th Cataphractarii Cohort reinforced the convoy, and the legionaries finally penetrated the lines and entered the Citadel early in the morning of the following day. The cost had been high: the Cohort suffered 131 casualties, including 40 deaths, and lost four of the 12 armored personnel carriers in the convoy. The Cohorteafirmed to have killed 250 mutants. To the south of the city, on January 31, Centurion Victor, commander of the 7th Cataphractarii Cohort, attempted to break the domain of the mutants. He directed an armored column towards Cervera, but like the other imperial units, it was impossible for him to break through. Victor's column, with three tanks at its head, tried once more. Upon arrival at the police headquarters in southern Cervera, the tanks tried to relieve the police defenders, but an enemy rocket made a direct impact on the Centurion's tank, killing him instantly. 'Evocatii' A Cohort of Evocatii of 480 soldiers protected the air base of Cervera (approximately 16 km southeast of Cervera), and all the western approaches to Cervera, when there should be four complete Cohorts. the commanding officer of the Evocati in Cervera was the Centurion Kaeso Agrippa, a war veteran who had already received the mural crown and the military crown for his actions and finally was obtained the civil crown for the city of Cervera. On the night of January 30 to January 31, the Evocati faced rocket and mortar fire at the Cervera airfield. At approximately 04:00, a hundred mutants attacked the security detail, causing the Cohort to take defensive positions at night. 2/5 Evocati killed 18 mutants, at a cost of three Evocati dead and 13 wounded. While the fighting continued in the southern and northern sectors, the Evocati moved to the city of Cervera. In the early hours of the morning of January 31, after the bombing with rockets of the aerodrome and the initial attack. When the Evocati approached the southern suburbs of the city, they were subjected to an increase in sniper fire. In one village, the troops cleared the houses on both sides of the main street before proceeding. The convoy stopped several times to eliminate the resistance in the heavy fights house by house and in the street before continuing again. At approximately 15:15 after a bloody fight, the Evocatii managed to make their way to the Compound. By then, the enemy attackers had withdrawn their forces from the vicinity of the Compound. Centurion Kaeso Agrippa met with Legatus Mario Casio. Leaving behind the Alpha handle to secure the Compound. And he left reinforced by three tanks Pz. 68 and a few HMMWV. By 20:00, the Evocati had established defensive positions near the Compound and a helicopter landing zone in a field to the west in the south of Cervera. On that first day, the Evocati in Cervera suffered casualties of 10 dead marines and 56 wounded. During the night, the Cohorte called a helicopter to the landing area to get the worst out of the injured. The Imperial command still had little idea of the situation in Cervera. 'Imperial Counterattack' On February 16, Legatus Belisario's assistant traveled to a meeting with Legatus Cornelio, where the assistant expressed his displeasure at the slow progress of the advances. After this visit, 2 more cohorts and additional air and artillery support committed to the attack in Cervera. On February 21, after intense radar and artillery attacks, the 2 cohorts launched a two-pronged attack from the north and west of Cervera. While the Mutantes strongly defended the perimeter, once the armored forces achieved support with 2 Pz. 68 newcomers, found that the base had been largely abandoned while the Cataphractarii had been gathering forces for the attack. The Cataphractarii had finally captured the main support base of the mutants, but they were still 8 km from the Citadel. The Third Cohort would not reach the west wall of the Citadel until February 25, at which time the mutants had successfully retreated from the battlefield. Aftermath. The fighting in other parts of the Empire during the offensive was generally limited to a week or sometimes less, however, the battle for the City of Cervera was the longest, which lasted from January 31 to March 2, 2286. The Imperial losses were 3,668 dead and 5,707 wounded. Losses of mutants are a matter of debate. The corps count gives figures of 2,400 dead and 3,000 injured from January 30 to March 28, but the number of bodies torn and charred by artillery fire makes the calculation difficult. 844 civilians were killed and 1,900 were injured during the battle. The mutants executed 4,856 civilians and captured Imperial personnel or disappeared during the battle according to the local government. In addition to the significant civilian casualties inflicted in the battle, eighty percent of the city was destroyed. Category:Battles Category:Events